The Vandal soccer team wrapped up its first spring under coach Derek Pittman Saturday in Spokane in a 7-on-7 tournament. The Vandals ended the day 1-3.
“The team went out and played very hard, which is a mark of who we are,” Pittman said. “We didn’t play as sharp as we needed to necessarily get the results we really wanted.”
Idaho’s first spring season under Pittman saw a young team learn and embrace new strategies that emphasized attacking on offense and swarming on defense. Pittman said the Vandals have really bought into these schemes.
“When we go out and play hard, and play together, we can compete with anyone,” Pittman said. “If we have even a few individuals that don’t, then we can get beat by anyone.”
The Vandals had a great showing overall, he said. The team was able to put some good shots on goal and continues to improve at defending in swarms and creating havoc for the opposition, Pittman said.
Pittman said the Vandals were up and down in the spring finale, but with the format it was to be expected. He saw his team having fun, which was the hope when it was scheduled. Although the team only won one of its games, Pittman said he saw good performances from his team and it is another building block for the team moving into the summer and fall.
“They’ve not only improved themselves individually but as a group as well,” Pittman said. “It’s definitely a different style and level of expectations, but they’ve done a great job.”
With the majority of the team consisting of underclassmen, Pittman felt that getting them all to buy into his system immediately was huge, as the Vandals prepare to bring in a few new players in the fall.
“They’re going to be able to set the example and lay the foundation for players to come in the future. We expect this fall for that to happen,” Pittman said.
The Vandals will be adding eight incoming freshmen, along with Kimberly Gerkin — who enrolled in January. Pittman expects team leaders Elexis Schlossarek, Emily Ngan, Reagan Quigley, Madison Moore and Alyssa and Amanda Pease to help the incoming freshmen class learn Pittman’s system and his expectations.
“They are going to show the incoming freshmen how we train, how we play and just what it means to slip on the Vandal soccer jersey and take pride in who we are and what we want to do and accomplish every time we take that field,” Pittman said.
Pittman said he has also been able to learn his team’s personality in how they interact and support each other both on the field and off.
The Vandals will join the Big Sky Conference in the fall after competing in the WAC for the past nine seasons.
Joshua Gamez can be reached at [email protected]